Connecting Digital Converter Box to an old TV

It's very easy in your case.

You should have a F-connector, it looks like an antenna coaxial type connector that is round with a center pin that has threads on it.

one should be labeled as Antenna/Cable box maybe, and the other as TV/Tuner. This device must be connected between your existing antenna coax that you have now. So, your existing Antenna/Cable wire goes to the Input of this box and the output of this box goes back to the TV antenna connection.

Unless you got your self one of those that has component/HD output only!. you may be in trouble! :)

"

I'm guessing that the RCA TV doesn't have coax antenna/RF inputs. What you'll need is a "balun" to convert the RF-out from the converter box to the 300 ohm antenna connection on the back of the TV. (Balun is just a contraction of "balanced-to-unbalanced," balanced twin lead to unbalanced coax.)

Here's an example

(although I know nothing about that site, other than their link was near the top on the search engine).

Since your antenna is also 300 ohm twin-lead, you'll need a second balun to connect it to the converter box. _ ( ) Antenna | \\=== [balun] --- [converter box] --- [balun] === [TV]

where === is the twin-lead and --- is coax or a coax connector.

Baluns come with several different types of connector on the coax side. You'll almost certainly want one with an "F connector."

When you're hooked up, tune the TV to channel 3 (the usual default) and turn on the coverter box. You should see the intoductory menu.

For the antenna, almost all DTV is up in the UHF band, so you do not use rabbit ears. Use a loop or bowtie antenna. An outdoor UHF is better but you'll probably get *something* (maybe everything) with an indoor antenna.

Go to

for antenna advice and to for info on who in your area is broadcasting DTV, the expected signal strength, and where to point your antenna.

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Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

I had assumed pics might spare you a lot of typing, so thanks for this, each of you!

Let me describe my TV connections and see if it causes you to fine- tune your answer any...

My TV has built-in twin telescoping antennae. There is no external antenna connected. The back of my TV has this:

A coax cable approx 4 inches long, with a male connector, comes out of my TV set through a hole marked "75 ohn VHF Tuner Input". Nearby is a female coax connector marked "75 ohm OUT" above it. The 4-inch male coax is connected to the female connector.

Below the female coax connector are two screw-down connections marked "VHF ANTENNA". Two 3-inch wires with U-ends come out of the back of the plastic TV frame nearby, thru unmarked holes, and connect to these VHF screw-downs. Labeled between the VHF screw-downs and the female coax connector are the words "300 ohm INPUT" so I don't know if it refers to the coax connector above it or the screw-downs below it.

Next to the VHF screw-downs are two more screw-downs marked "UHF ANTENNA". Nothing attached to them.

You mentioned a bowtie UHF Antenna. Yes, there is one, seemingly permanently affixed to the back of the set, with wire leads with U- ends, unattached to anything. So that's what that is! You know, I don't think that UHF antenna has ever been hooked up to the screw- downs in the 32 years I've had this TV! LOL!

The Tivax has RF-In coax jack, RF-Out coax jack, chan 3/4 switch, and some type of RJ+++ jack (like telephones have) labeled "Smart Ant. I/ F".

Does the above information change your detailed prescription any?

Will the connection of a smart antenna change your prescription any?

Thanks.

RPT

This is where you connect the Digital tuner. Use a short coaxial jummper from here to the The Tivax RF-Out coax jack. Connect your antenna to the Tivax has RF-In coax jack, plug in the AC cord, and you are fininshed.

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Pictures are always handy, but you may want to consider uploading them to a free media server and then posting the link, rather than e-mailing them individually. I've used Imageshack

for a few odds and ends and can attest that it "works" and is genuinely free.

As Michael said, this is the place. You'll probably need a "bullet" (a female to female F connector) to mate between the cable from the converter box and the male end of your input cable.

That's the antenna you'll need to feed the converter box input. If it's really a permanent fixture you may want to get a set-top antenna so that you can aim it to peak the reception. Some set-top antennas (nowadays, maybe most) have coax cables. If you get one that doesn't, or if you decide to try the built-in bowtie, you'll need one of those balun things.

The smart antenna interface can optionally be connected to an antenna rotor to slew the antenna azimuth based on the selected channel. The TVFool link above will show you where the digital broadcast towers are in your region. If the stations you want are clustered near one bearing (or if you're using an indoor antenna and can get up to tweak it) you won't need a "smart" antenna. You won't *need* one otherwise providing the signal strengths are otherwise okay.

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Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

Why not just take off the 4" pece, and connect the cable right to the female on the box?

Cheers! Rich

I dunno!

However, thanks everyone for the info. I uploaded a pic to Image Shack (thanks, Mr. Webb) so let's see if I did THAT correctly. I'll show two different links for the same image to see which one works:

P.S. The TV news just had one more of those ubiquitous commercials for DTV conversion. They said you could hook up your converter ahead of the deadline. But, isn't that only true if you have a converter with analog pass-through?

Wait! I do know! Because it's a shy too short to reach my box when placed on top of my TV set?

Ok, I get this. Looks easy now. I got caught up in the other connections on the back of my TV, and the idea that it had to be harder because I am not an enguneer. :)

But, let's see if really get it... how about this... the way my TV is configured now, those two wires that come out of the TV case, on the left, aren't they simply the leads from my twin telescoping antennae? And having them connected as they are to the VHF screw-down inputs simply connects them to a built-in balun inside the TV whose output appears as the female "75 ohm out" connector? And that is why the

4"cable had to connect to it, to finally connect the antennae to the VHF tuner?

If yes to all of that, then this cross-connect panel on the back of my TV is just a typically inelegant way of going out and in and out and in, allowing a choice of connecting to my VHF tuner by either external coax cable TV or my internal telescoping antennae? Why I ever got confused... well, that's me, expecting, uh, elegance. It is elegant, though, for what it is.

Question: Since my coax tuner input says "VHF", then what tuner do my UHF screw-downs connect my bowtie to? A UHF tuner inside my TV, perhaps? And, unlike my VHF tuner, this UHF tuner has no option to access it via coax?

My converter box came with a male-male coax jumper. Yeah, I'll need a bullet.

Also, will need a balun for my bowtie. Sounds like a song. ;)

yeah, it is a bit ugly like that.

yes, the UHF screws go straight to the UHF tuner inside the TV. if you want use coax for uhf you need to use a balun.

the TV has separate UHF and VHF tuner... if you want to use the passthrough feature of the converter to use the UHF antenna for analog tv the output of the converter needs to be connected to the UHF input

If the converter box outputs UHF then you'll need to use a balun and hook it to the UHF input, if it outputs VHF you can hook it to the coax cable (using a bullet coupler)

if it's outputting VHF the passthrough feature won't be much use.

Nope. Most (by this time, probably all) stations are broadcasting both the conventional analog as well as the digital signals. With the converter box hooked up, you should get the DTV.

--
Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

With the warning that many stations are going to switch from their temporary digital channel and put the digital transmission on their old analog frequency on the changeover day next February. This will be most common on channels 7-13.

Mark Zenier snipped-for-privacy@eskimo.com Googleproofaddress(account:mzenier provider:eskimo domain:com)

Ah! It first sounded like you had a 4" piece of coax plugged into the F connector, and the other end just out there flapping in the breeze.

You need a "bullet" two female Fs back to back, to plug into the end of the coax.

I don't know what comes out of the digital box - you say it has a "3/4" switch, like a VCR output? In that case, you'll only need to plug into the cable, and disconnect everything from the screw terminals and the female F.

Actually, whenever I find out WHERE to get one of Satan's boxes, I'll face practically the same dilemma.

I wonder if I should start a new thread to ask, "will I need a combiner for my existing VHF and UHF antennas? Currently, I have to move the cable between the two wheneverI change ranges. But there's a lot of overlap - the vhf one goes up to ch. 50 pretty well (It's a wideband folded dipole on the roof) and my new 4-bay bowtie (total cost: $2.50 for the balun) goes all the way down to ch. 7.

Cheers! Rich

Sorry about that - I just now saw your pix; I had misunderstood about the

4" piece - I had an image of the end that now goes into the TV was just a male F lying out there flapping in the breeze.

So, never mind. :-)

Cheers! Rich

OK, I've found the coupons; but WHERE IN HELL DO I GET THE DAMN BOX?????

Thanks, Rich

I've see them in K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Best Buy & other stores this week.

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There are two kinds of people on this earth: The crazy, and the insane. The first sign of insanity is denying that you're crazy.

I belong to consumerreports.org so looked at the rating there. Also, it explained the options on each model.

The brick-and-mortar stores in my area carried the same two brands, neither I wanted, cost 60-80 bucks.

I googled and got my Tivax on thetwistergroup.com after coupon discount for 15 bucks including shipping. I think the box was 6 bucks and the shipping was 9 bucks.